Tsunami:3/11/11!

The 16 days we spent on Maui weren't totally about the tsunami, but when you tell anyone you just got back from there, the first thing they ask is were you there during the tsunami?  The answer is yes.  It was late Friday night, March 11th, and I was online chatting with fellow Facebook friends.  The big concern everyone expressed was will we be safe?  I thought so 'cuz we were in a 3rd floor condo with a 4th floor loft if we needed it.  The waves were supposed to hit at 3:07 AM and reach 6 - 7'.  There initially wasn't a guess as to how far inland they'd go, but as time passed, those in the know thought those of us in the "zone" better hightail it outta there.  The sirens went off and eventually a cop drove up and down the road in front of our place announcing that we needed to evacuate NOW!  So we loaded all the valuables, pillows, blankets and some food into the 2 vehicles and headed out.  This is where it gets fun, 'cuz we really don't know where we're going!  You get off the beaten path heading to the high country and there are NO street lights.  Not to mention that the road isn't exactly straight and on either side of you are fields of sugar cane, standing at least 6' tall not allowing any perspective as to where you are!  So what we did is we just got in line and followed some other cars that we hoped were going in the right direction.  Eventually we see a guy standing in the middle of the road signaling us to turn into a parking lot.  Turns out it's a church that overlooks Kehei and the airport.  Prior to our leaving the condo, I called KING 5 TV and asked them if they wanted me to be an on the spot reporter and they asked me if they could call back?  There were 4 of us trying to sleep in this Mercury Marquis and I wasn't having much luck.  I had the radio on listening to the same station that everybody else in the parking lot had on getting the latest news.  At 3:45 AM Maui time, my phone rings.  It's KING 5 asking me if they could put me on the air?  Sure, why not.  So for 5 mins. I got to give my description of the events of that night/morning.  Shortly after the call, the sirens went off again, waking everyone up.  Talk about eerie.  The radio station would go into that noise they make when an emergency warning is about to be broadcast, then a real emergency warning is broadcast.  This was really happening!!  The next morning, I got out of the car as day break came.  Folks were standing around looking down towards the aiport.  I had no clue what to look for, so I asked.  Word had come down that water had come inland 500' and had reached a certain Wal-Greens.  Our next move was to wait until we heard the all is clear siren, then we could go back to the condo.  The news reported that the road to Kehei was closed due to damage along it.  Around 11, we got tired of waiting for the siren and left.  By the time we got back, the road was open and the debris along it had been removed.  You could see how far the water had come, we just weren't sure how it got there.  The rest of the trip was spent listening and hearing others tell their story of where they were the night the sirens went off.  If I ever move there, I think I want to live up country!